Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The House of Representatives budget committee approved on Monday a government proposal to increase fuel prices by an average 30 percent starting January next year, but delayed once again the completion of a crucial debate on the 2002 draft state budget.

Apriadi Gunawan and Fadly, Medan/Batam – Five underage women identified as IM, A, FY, E and W had no idea that they would be traded as prostitutes in a red light district in Dumai, Riau, when Romantan Sinaga alias Nico or Onces, and Andi Haryanto offered them a good job with a high salary during a coincidental meeting at the Aksara Medan Plaza in August.

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – Less than three months ago Abdurrahman Wahid was swept from Indonesia's presidency on a wave of public exasperation after a truncated tenure that one prominent scholar calls one of the strangest periods in Indonesian history.

Evelyn Leopold, United Nations – East Timor's newly elected constituent assembly asked the United Nations on Monday to grant it independence next May 20, paving the way for a reduction of UN military and civilian forces.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Commission B of the West Java legislative Council, along with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), is processing a long-awaited bylaw on forest management and the distribution of forest products.

The local administration's plan, however, has been opposed by locals, who have not been included in forest management for decades.

Banda Aceh – At least eight people, including two Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels, were killed in a series of incidents over Friday and Saturday, officials and activists said.

RK Nugroho, Jayapura – The proindependence Papuan Council Presidium (PDP) asserted on Saturday in Jayapura that it would reject the Special Autonomy Law on Irian Jaya which will come into effect on Tuesday.

Poso (Sulawesi) – Clashes between Christian and Muslim gangs, armed with knives and homemade guns, left at least eight people dead, police and witnesses said yesterday.

Dili – Indonesia-East Timor trade relations have good prospects in future so that there is glimmer of hope that certain parts of their common borderline will eventually be opened for across-the-border trade activities, an Indonesian representative official said.

Dili – Indonesia's currency, the rupiah, especially of the Rp 5000 to Rp 50000 denomination, is still legally accepted as a means of exchange in Timor Lorosae, along with the US dollar.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – The trial of a separatist leader in Ambon, the capital of Indonesia's Maluku islands, that began yesterday had a hidden political agenda, analysts said.

Banda Aceh – Seven people, including two members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group, were killed in separate violence on Thursday and Friday, activists and an official said.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri's honeymoon with her deputy is over as both leaders tussle over Indonesia's response to the US military campaign against Afghanistan.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Parliament adopted a new code of ethics this week, but experts said it would have little impact on attendance and the practice of buying and selling votes.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – The police, the judiciary, Customs and the Tax Department are the most corrupt institutions in Indonesia, a survey has found.

Jakarta – Traffic police, customs and tax officials, and the judiciary were ranked the most corrupt institutions in Indonesia's public sector, according to a recent survey.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Activists warned authorities in North Sumatra about the possibility of environmental damage following a plan to extract sand from the province's eastern coastal areas to Malaysia and Singapore, saying it could hasten coastal erosion and consequent flooding on the mainland.

Jakarta – Over 1.3 million visitors have cancelled trips to Indonesia because of heightened anti-American sentiment since the United States launched air strikes against Afghanistan – resulting in the loss of US$1.1 billion in potential tourist income, said a government minister.

R.K. Nugroho, Jayapura – Trikora Military Command chief Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon confirmed on Wednesday in Jayapura that the military had conducted raids of rebels' camps in Kali Kopi village, Mimika regency, Irian Jaya.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Inspired by Aceh, the only province where the Islamic Law or Syariah is officially in place, Muslim groups in several other provinces in Indonesia are also pushing for the implementation of the law. To assuage the groups, the government has been forced to revise the criminal law and give it a more Islamic touch.

Jakarta – The green turtle (Chelonian) found on the southern coast of Sukabumi regency in West Java province is acing extinction due to the poaching of its eggs, chairman of he Green Foundation, Cevy Th Mulyana, said on Thursday.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – More than 10,000 Muslims, some singing "our blood is boiling", marched through the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Friday in the country's biggest protest to date against the US-led strikes on Afghanistan.

Jakarta – Indonesia stands to lose three million jobs if it decides to sever diplomatic ties with the United States, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said. "Where will we channel those three million labourers who get laid off if Indonesia cuts its ties with the US?" he asked on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Public pressure has been increasing for the House of Representatives to set up a special committee in charge of investigating the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) scam involving some 40 billion rupiah (US$4 million) allegedly perpetrated by Golkar Party chairman and current House Speaker Akbar Tandjung.

Jeremy Page, Shanghai – A senior Indonesian minister denied on Thursday that President Megawati Sukarnoputri had condemned US-led strikes on Afghanistan and said Jakarta had not wavered in its support for a war on terrorism.

Over 500 refugees crossed the border this morning in the second day of mass refugee returns from camps in Indonesian West Timor.

Yemris Fointuna, Atambua – At least 800 East Timorese refugees, formerly grouped under the Mahidi militia group from Ainaro regency, returned to their homeland on Wednesday and received a special welcome from East Timorese leaders.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – For the first time, nine private companies in North Sumatra have withdrawn from the social security programs due to their dissatisfaction with the compulsory insurance scheme for workers.

Banda Aceh – Gunmen killed a local government official on Thursday in the latest violence to rock the rebellious Indonesian province of Aceh, police said.

The secretary of the North Aceh district administration, Muchlis Ali, was shot dead by two unidentified attackers in the city of Lhokseumawe, said local police spokesman Adjunct Commissioner Adi Marwan.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government reaffirmed on Wednesday its support for combating global terrorism, but warned that the continued US strikes on Afghanistan were endangering world peace.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the prolonged assault would also give rise to Islamic radicalism worldwide.

Marianne Kearney, Batu Keras (West Java) – This town is situated in one of Indonesia's most devout Muslim provinces.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Declaring a jihad or holy war against America and its citizens in Indonesia has become a surefire way for radical Muslim groups to gain their 15 minutes of fame and maintain their position in Indonesia's unsettled political landscape.

Jakarta – At least half of the factories in Indonesia face bankruptcy if the country cuts diplomatic ties with the United States, sending millions more workers out of work and disrupting economic recovery program, analysts and business leaders warned.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Golkar chief and Parliament Speaker Akbar Tandjung has come under fire on allegations of corruption, which observers said may be a move from within his own party to unseat him from the coveted leadership post.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Despite separation between the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) since 1999, a reform bill currently being deliberated at the House of Representatives by a special committee, has failed to promote a spirit of reform, observers said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Long criticised for its lack of action, the Indonesian government has moved to lower vehicle-emission levels in major cities.

Ramani de Silva, Dili – The Constituent Assembly elected in September had been in place for less than two weeks when on September 26 a demonstration of around 300 people demanded that its deliberations be opened to the people through public hearings.

Craig Skehan – The Prime Minister, John Howard, has cautioned Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri against her growing criticism of United States-led military attacks on Afghanistan. Ms Megawati said on Monday that "blood cannot be cleansed with blood".

Jakarta – East Timor's foreign minister Jose Ramos Horta has supported the US-led air attacks on Afghanistan, saying his people have personal experience of the "scourge of terrorism."

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Thousands of employees of state-owned aircraftmaker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) staged a strong protest at the dismissal of the chairman and the secretary of the Employee Communication Forum Arif Minardi and A.M. Bone on Tuesday.

Jakarta – A Muslim group waging a "holy war" against Christians in Maluku said yesterday it would not join rallies against the US military attacks on Afghanistan. "We have never staged anti-US demonstrations and we will not do so. We are not good at organising demonstrations," Laskar Jihad spokesman Wirawan Adnan told a press conference.

Jakarta – A mob ransacked and torched a church in the south of Indonesia's Sumatra island, a report said Wednesday.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Idi, East Aceh – Yasdi, 40, has abandoned his job as a truck driver because he can no longer endure the rife extortion by security personnel on the streets in the province of Aceh. Sitting relaxed in his coffee shop in Idi, East Aceh, Yasdi, of Acehnese descent, recalled how local policemen and soldiers treat motorists and travelers.

Leo Wahyudi S, Jakarta – The government should retake the initiative in reforming the nation's defense sector from the hands of the Indonesian Military (TNI), the International Crisis Group (ICG) has said.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Banda Aceh – There seems no right policy for Aceh. Whatever policy is pursued by the government seems to reach a dead end. The Acehnese say this failure stems from the fact that policies are introduced when violence is continuing unabated.

[This is a special report of The Jakarta Post's reporter Ridwan Max Sijabat and photographer R. Berto Wedhatama, on their recent journalistic trip to Aceh.]

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops shot and killed a former negotiator for separatist guerillas in Aceh province after he resisted arrest, a military spokesman said yesterday.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri has condemned the United States-led air strikes on Afghanistan as her Government continues to take tough action against radical groups that have threatened to attack Western interests in the country.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – City councillors could possibly commit corruption, but not on the same scale as that which may have been committed by their predecessors, a deputy chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan) hinted on Saturday.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Dozens of people were injured and 12 were arrested as some 1,500 people who staged an anti-US rally in front of the House of Representatives building clashed with police officers on Monday.